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Valenti and Foster: Scherzer Should Not Come Out Of The Bullpen

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Leading up to the decisive ALDS Game 4 in Detroit, Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland said starter Max Scherzer would be available to pitch out of the bullpen “if the stars line up.”

Scherzer, who pitched in Friday’s Game 1, would be asked to pitch on short rest for the first time in his four-year Tigers’ career.

In theory, if the Tigers use Scherzer out of the bullpen in Game 4, it would set up a matchup between A’s ace Bartolo Colon and Justin Verlander in a potential Game 5 and possibly leave Scherzer ready for a Game 1 appearance . A relief appearance on Tuesday would be the first for Scherzer since his rookie season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008.

97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Valenti and Terry Foster believe that pitching Scherzer on three days of rest would be a mistake.

“If you’re not going to start the game, don’t pitch him. It’s riskier to pitch him on short rest than to send out Fister on full rest,” Valenti said on his radio show Tuesday. “You already have Porcello coming out of the bullpen.”

“Doug Fister will be a better pitcher today than Scherzer,” Foster added. “Fister is the guy. He’s fresh and ready to go.”

Should Leyland have started Scherzer on short rest in Game 4? Should he be using him out of the bullpen? How confident are you in Doug Fister to extend the series?